


Taschentrückung

by Ononymous



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Pre-Undertale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-06
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-19 21:02:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16542194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ononymous/pseuds/Ononymous
Summary: Trapped. Trapped by barrier, by remorse, by duty, by scruples, by hope. The King in the Mountain wages a war he does not want against a foe who does not remember him, among subjects and friends who can never understand the loss. Until one day, a creature crosses his path that very much can...





	Taschentrückung

"Oh dear, that would explain it..."

A sharp claw withdrew from the tiny hole in the middle of the pink metal as the Royal Inspection ended, taking a flake of rust with it. This certainly explained to Asgore where the puddle by the throne had come from. He had acted on the immediate crisis this represented, rescuing the nearby flowers from drowning. There was still soil stuck to his fur after he'd dug barehanded to rescue them, and some on his horns where he'd rubbed to try and clean them. The problem before him now was where he was going to get the can replaced at this time of day. The evening shift at the Royal Guard barracks could probably patch the watering can, but he didn't like to bother them. And he'd rather like to hold on to this can if he could, it had been with him a long time. Before he had gone and...

Asgore was spared dragging himself back to that time, for his floppy ears picked up on a welcome distraction. An unusual sound above the distant howling wind that had been white noise to him in this room for centuries. It sounded like... sniffling? The sound itself wasn't necessarily the unusual part, but its apparent source was. Not from the majestic doorway leading to the corridor before him, but from the much plainer passageway behind him. The same direction as the howling wind.

"Hello?" He walked over to the small doorway and strained his ears. "Is somebody there?"

There wasn't a directed response to his hail, but the sniffling continued, and it was definitely coming from the stony passage before him. All other concerns forgotten for now, Asgore trotted along, the howling growing louder in his ears.

The sting that the eerie light of this cavern filled his heart with when he first regarded it had long since dulled. And so had the appreciation for the ethereal beauty of sunlight passing through such a twisted magical prism when the grief of what it represented had passed. In many respects he felt nothing for it these days. Or at least he tried not to feel anything. He dwelled on neither extreme, for something was different today. A long shadow lanced across the floor, reaching his fuzzy feet, and he could make out the source of the shadow at the very threshold of the barrier, quivering.

"My goodness!"

He hurried up to the bundle and scooped it up in his large hands, registering how cold it was. It paid him no mind, continuing to sniffle and shudder as Asgore inspected it properly. A small creature, barely larger than his hands, with a rough brown hide covered in abrasions and scrapes, and a few deeper cuts. A chalk white bony structure rested on its head that barely peaked out from how tightly the creature was curled up. It looked like it had been in an accident, or even come off the worst in a fight.

"Oh, how dreadful! Hold still..."

The magic flowed down his arms into the creature. Most of the cuts sealed over completely, though one remained scabbed and a muddy red colour, and most of the abrasions vanished. More magic flowed, Asgore feeling its momentary warmth as he hoped to counter the effects of whatever exposure it had suffered. The creature appeared to calm now that the worst of its pain had been cleared up, but it continued to sob. Asgore wasn't sure whether its ragged breath was from its distress or a sign of poor health. Both felt feasible, and he had reached the limits of his healing magic.

"It's alright," he said, as he cradled the creature's head, "you are safe now."

Whether it understood him or not, the tone may have done the trick. The shuddering lessened and the breathing steadied. As Asgore carried it away from the barrier, it looked up at him with round dark eyes contrasted against the white bone.

"Cu... cubone..."

* * *

"Were there two or three deeper wounds, sire?"

"Oh, I'm not sure, didn't stop to check. Possibly four, I think."

"Hmm..."

"Cubone..."

The cubone lay on Asgore's dining table. A grey wing was pressed firmly down on it to prevent sudden movements, while a second managed the neat trick of lifting its arm up to check for damage, a yellow beak pointed at the area of examination.

"I must thank you again, Doctor," said Asgore, "I know this is not your field of expertise."

"Understatement," grunted Doctor Drake, "since you wanted me trained in handling injured humans. You may as well have summoned Captain Undyne to play you at Jenga. You're lucky that trainer book fell into Waterfall so I'd have some idea of their anatomy. I reckon this one's a boy, by the way."

"I appreciate the trouble you're going to," said Asgore, sincere gratitude in his voice. "My, this is never something I imagined we would have to deal with before reaching the surface. The odd one may have wandered into that cavern in the early days, but they dried up remarkably quick. I think they developed an instinct to stay clear of us."

"Probably," muttered Drake. "Can't tell you what was going through this guy's head. Must have been in a bad way to disregard generations of instinct. Can't tell if it was the wounds or..."

"Or what?"

Doctor Drake didn't say. Instead his wings passed over the cubone, and more magic flowed into him. The last cut and remaining abrasions cleared up, and a hairline fracture in its outer skull resealed. He began to fidget more, free of physical pain at last, but the Doctor kept a firm wing pressed down to prevent escape.

"Cubone!" it protested.

"Based on your description and your own healing magic, I'd say he was in a fight with other wild ones a few hours ago. What sort, I can't say. But the little feller wasn't in good shape before then. The book has them being a little plumper than him, so he's not been getting much to eat. And his hide's unusually soft along his arms, like he's been rubbing them repeatedly. Could be a sign of high stress levels. All that and prolonged exposure? Bad combination to then get into a fight like that. Might have been practically blind from fatigue. Body didn't have the energy to tell him where he was going."

"Oh my goodness..." Asgore's hand twitched as though to reach out and pet the patient, but stayed by his side.

"Well, them's the breaks," said Doctor Drake, unconcerned. "So, will you be harvesting it now, your majesty?"

"Cubone?"

"I'm sorry?"

"The soul. Do you need someone on hand to help you recover it after you-"

"No!" Asgore looked stricken at the unexpected question, but quickly recovered. "I mean- It would do us no good, Doctor. They aren't human, and their souls aren't compatible with us."

"You're sure, sir?"

"Yes. Do you recall those earlier visitors? Well a few rambunctious monsters tried to break the barrier with them, and before anyone found out..." a mixture of sorrow and distaste was on his face as his eyes became overbright. "Those poor things. Tori was so upset."

"I see." The Doctor eyed Asgore carefully. "Well, I'm not sure what you're gonna do with him."

"Oh, I'm sure I can figure something out before too long," said Asgore, smiling. "Thanks again for all your help, Doctor. Just one more question."

"Yes, Sir?"

"Do you think dog chow would be appropriate to feed him?"

* * *

His eyes burst open. His heart was pounding, his fur felt damp, and his hands were clenched into fists that threatened to cut themselves with his claws. All par for the course.

As there were next to no natural indicators of what time it was, Asgore checked his alarm clock. It was the small hours of the morning, a little earlier than usual, but then his dream had been correspondingly harsher. The familiar pounding continued, almost ignored by the heart's owner, as the King began the usual debate of whether to have an early start to the day, take some tea to settle himself or attempt to return to sleep right away, to return to the sniffles that were the last thing he recalled before waking... Sniffles he could still hear at that moment, actually.

Sitting upright, Asgore used a handful of flame to light the room instead of reaching for the light switch, an old habit. The source of the sniffles was obvious. In a small bundle of musty cushions, next to the dish with a few crumbs of dogfood and the bowl of water, the cubone was trembling, though still asleep. Once Asgore had arranged the food, his guest had devoured it, and to his surprise made no effort to escape, still deeply exhausted despite Doctor Drake's ministrations. The reasons for the trembling were likely not physical.

With his free hand Asgore pulled his blanket off and got out of bed, approaching his guest with a softness of step belied by his stature. It didn't take much to see the cubone wasn't trembling from cold. His hands were not trying to cover his body or even rub his arms as the Doctor had suggested. Instead they were gripping a lemon-coloured cushion as tight as possible, a plume of stuffing erupting into being alongside a soft tearing noise. More sobs escaped his shielded maw. It had been a long time since he'd seen it from the outside, but Asgore knew the sting of a nightmare when he saw it.

"Shhhhhh," he whispered, "it is alright..."

With the free arm he scooped the cubone and the dying cushion into his grip. Flames doused, his other hand then gently stroked the spine, tracing the spurs poking from it, down to the base of his tail. Asgore continued this as he made his way back to his bed, sitting on the side as he perfected the rhythm of his strokes. They had the desired effect. Soon the sobs ended, and the trembling slowly faded, becoming the regular shifts of position one sees in sleep, the cubone's breathing deep and steady. To Asgore's mild surprise, the white skull twisted, burrowing into the crook of his elbow as if to siphon the natural heat he gave off. Or to embrace a kindred spirit. With that final adjustment, the bundle of brown was at last peaceful. Asgore regarded him for a while, understanding coming to him.

"You lost them," he murmured. "Even before you came down here, you were all alone... I understand... I am the same..."

The cubone chose that moment to take a particularly deep breath, exhaling in what Asgore couldn't think of as anything but relief. It was odd to apply these thoughts to a wild animal, to speak of his own thoughts so freely after a lifetime of brave faces and buried anguish. Yet here he was, utterly convinced this was the right thing to do. Words spoken long ago to another guest, words with costs not at all understood by him at the time, passed his lips once more.

"Well, you are not alone anymore, little one. You may stay here as long as you need..."

"...bone..."

The cubone was a little confused later when he woke to find the bedding he'd warily settled into had become a single furry mound slowly rising and falling with a snoring sound, but he didn't mind. It was nice and warm.

* * *

"Do ya have to take it with you, Asgore?"

"Cu? Cubone!" he sounded grumpy.

"I'm sorry if he bothers you, Undyne. Kewy's been feeling a little pent up. My chair legs can attest to his claws expressing that. He likes riding on my pauldrons, so I thought a change of scenery would cheer him up."

He nodded in agreement. "Cu!"

The Captain of the Royal Guard did not look assuaged. "It's just, I try to run a tight ship in the barracks, sir. No pets, be they bug, snail or rock. I obviously can't tell you to keep him away, but what if he, you know, makes a mess?"

Asgore looked over at the deep gouges in the wooden floor of the training hall and the various scraps of broken equipment, and made no comment. "I understand that the first time you met him was, um, unfortunate, but since he fully adjusted to magical food there has been no further accidents of that kind. And the smell didn't last too long."

"Cubone!" Kewy looked proud.

Undyne knew a lost fight when she saw it. And it had been kinda funny. "Alright, sir. Anyway, as I was saying, I think the metal equipment isn't cutting it. The recruits keep breaking it every time I encourage them to give more than their all."

How did that even...? Never mind. "Hmm. And what would you propose we repair the equipment with, Captain?"

Her razor sharp grin preceded the answer. "You know that stuff the outer casing of the core's made of? Maybe we could use that! I tried stabbing a spare plat of it once, I think it only got stronger. Hell if I know how that works, but it's just what we need here! Could that new Royal Scientist maybe whip some up?"

"Hmm, possibly," mused Asgore, "but I remember it being a very expensive process when he fabricated the original casing."

"Who?"

"Bone?"

Asgore scratched the back of his head as Kewy looked on quizzically. He would not get an answer. "In any case, the holidays are coming up. It wouldn't be fair to ask everyone to help pay for reinforced equipment right now. Maybe next year, Undyne."

Undyne looked like Santa had just told her no. He had. "But what the hell do we do in the meantime, just weld this crap back together and treat it like it's made of paper?"

"Well," said Asgore, heart sinking at having to criticise her, "I think the new recruits look rather tired when I came by earlier. Perhaps you could afford to lay up just a little-"

Her laugh was more of a bark. "Dream on, Fluffybuns! Ain't no way I'm compromising my training regime just to scrimp a few pennies." She turned away from Asgore to examine a particularly jagged piece of metal. "Never pegged you for a skinflint like that-"

_THUD._

"NGAH! SONUVA-"

Asgore had still been looking at his now-vacant shoulder when Undyne cursed. Both monsters looked briefly at each other, before shifting down to the floor between them, where a boney club was being swung around wildly. Its owner's indignation was palpable.

"Cubone, bone!"

"Kewy!" reproached Asgore with a rare sternness. "There was no need for that!"

"Yeah, you jerk!" Undyne kept rubbing the back of her head at the point of contact. "If you can't take some mean words, maybe you should go home!"

"Cu!" Asgore flinched at the rude response. The club zoomed towards Undyne again, but she dodged it.

"That's it!"

"Undyne, wait-"

She didn't. A spear plummeted to where Kewy stood. Had stood, for he dodged effortlessly, the floor's impressive collection of gouges growing.

"Oh I'm not playing this game," she roared, ignoring that her ruler, friend and owner of her enemy was imploring her to stop, "you fight me head on!"

 _PING._ A faint green shimmer enveloped Kewy as his latest jump ended, and once his feet touched the ground he found himself unable to lift them again. He didn't spend much time trying, for another spear closed in fast, and his club batted it away.

"Yeah," snarled Undyne, "not so tough without your twinkle toes, are-" _THUD._ "NGAH, DAMMIT!"

The club returned to the small hand, clenched with a lot more resolve than fear. "Cubone, cubone!"

"Please, both of you-"

No luck came of this. Undyne abandoned the advantage of range her magic had given her, and she was now trying to personally skewer Kewy. She wasn't getting very far, for his tiny body was still remarkably flexible for being rooted to the spot, the floor now sporting an impressive cluster of holes. Occasionally bone met spear, and Kewy's dark eyes gaving him the edge to keep it locked in place, when it wasn't trying to batter Undyne's shins, all for a slight neither combatant remembered anymore.

"Ngah, can't dodge for ever you little- _Oof!_ "

The club launched into her stomach, and the green shimmer vanished, freeing Kewy from his roots. He leapt up after his club, clinging to her body as tiny blows pattered over her chest wherever he scurried, the honour of the one who had cared for him defended quite unwillingly. The reign of terror stopped just short of Undyne's eyepatch, as she finally caught his tiny arm. Not that his other didn't keep hitting her.

"Cubone-bone-bone-bone-bone!"

" _I am gonna shove my spear up-_ "

" **Enough!** "

The struggling mass froze solid, before two heads slowly turned towards the source of their dispute. Asgore had dipped his head, his eyes covered in just enough shadow to conceal their usual twinkle. Longtime friend and new companion knew instantly they had erred, and in unison found the newest gouge in the floor really interesting. Neither made any motion of resistance as Asgore reached over and took Kewy into his large hands and started inspecting him.

"Honestly," Asgore tutted, like they had refused to eat their greens, "a fight over a tease..."

"...sorry, sir..."

"...cubone..."

"I'm just glad nobody got seriously hurt." Some of his usual warmth was returning. "I would hate if what Doctor Drake did for you was all for naught, Kewy. And the Guard would be so worried about you, Undyne. It does no good to jeapordise he kingdom's good spirits for something so trivial."

Undyne's flaming hair pointed at Asgore's golden beard, looking less vibrant than usual. "...you're right, Asgore. I lost my temper. I wasn't a small bendy sapling or however you describe that zen stuff, I was a big rigid wooden piece of junk and I snapped."

"Oh, it's alright," he said, the sternness crumbling under the weight of her contrition, "we know better for again. Now, I suppose we better move on and-"

"A moment, sir?"

"Hmm?"

"Cu?"

Undyne still looked at the ground, but her right arm slowly raised, clenched in a fist. Asgore smiled nonchalantly, as if to order an explanation, but it came when her head rose, in a sharp, yellow grin.

"Put her there, runt!"

"Cubone?!"

"You punch above your weight, Kewy! I'm always worried about having to fight humans and how they'll use their magic to flay me or something, but you made an awesome change! In fact, as Captain of the Royal Guard, I hereby allow all whatever-you-are's to visit the barracks as you please. We'll do this again sometime!"

Asgore remained nonchalant as he looked down at Kewy. Then a small brown fist shot out and made contact with the large blue one. The impact might have shattered the barrier.

"Cubone, cubone!" His joy and triumph was infectious.

"Oh, how marvellous!" Asgore's eyes were overbright as he hoisted Kewy into the air, "you made a friend!"

* * *

"Bone?"

"Thank you, Kewy."

"Cubone, cu."

Asgore accepted the offered watering can, feeling the welded patch in the side of it, and heard Kewy withdraw to his designated patch of soil. It had been tricky giving him an opportunity to vent his instincts to burrow without injury to the rest of the garden, but eventually he was able to reserve a spot Kewy could dig to his heart's content, which Asgore heard happening right now. As he started watering, the digging stopped momentarily.

"Cubone?"

"Hmm, I think you're right. I know Undyne normally visits by now, but perhaps something came up. I'm sure she'd let us know if it were important. Not to worry."

Kewy took Asgore's unconcern to heart, and the digging continued, allowing Asgore to tend to his flowers. As usual the few fortunate enough to be in direct sunlight got a little extra water than the others, to account for evaporation. As the well oiled rhythm fired up, he began humming to himself, a tune of little structure with a dozen sources mashed together, the superstition of which offered the hope the flowers would be less stressed as they grew. It was something he'd started doing with Kewy when both were troubled by dreams, and at least on that front the effects were far more apparent and positive. As he sank into his reverie and the aimless tune, it took a moment for him to realise Kewy had stopped digging again. Which often meant...

"Hmm? Is someone there? Just a moment, I am watering these flowers." The last of the water leaving the can, he put it down by the throne before turning to the main entrance. "Howdy! What can I-"

Ice cascaded into his stomach as he took a step backwards without thinking. A human child stood at the threshold of the main flowerbed, but they were not looking at him. Instead Kewy had emerged from the hole he'd been digging and approached them warily, as the child looked back with interest. There was a moment's uncertainty, but then they extended an arm and pat his skull gently, a movement he made no objections towards, instead rubbing it against their blue and red jumper affectionately. They smiled at their new friend.

"Cubone. Cubone..."

"Oh..."

Both of them stopped at Asgore's word. Cubone looked at him with confusion and a little worry, clearly ignorant of the significance of this guest. The human had no such balm, and looked at him with sorrow, knowing the stakes of this meeting. But they did not shrink away. They looked determined.

"I so badly want to say to you," said Asgore, "'Would you like a cup of tea?' But... you know how it is."

"Cubone?"

Kewy's worry made it all the more painful. And yet Asgore's own resolve hardened. If not for him, or for her, then for all of them...

"Well, when you are ready... I shall be too."

Turning his back on both of them, Asgore slunk quietly to the back of the room, and into the stony passage beyond. Kewy looked at his new friend, worry intensifying.

"Cubone?"

The human smiled back at him. They still had a sad air about them, but there was also a reassurance, that everything would be fine. They followed the King out of the throne room. Kewy was left alone in the room, hearing Asgore and the human make echo-y small talk as they headed further towards the barrier.

"C-cubone!"

He scampered around the edge of the flowers, as Asgore had patiently taught him, and followed them to the threshold of the Underground, the unwitting vanguard of a mass deputation that approached, unheeded by the three of them. And that evening, Asgore would indeed share his tea with this human, and many other friends too.

* * *

It was a splendid evening. Clear, starlit and sporting a crescent moon, all of which pierced the soft glow of the streetlights. A hulking figure cast long shadows that grew and shrank as each lamppost was passed, with smaller shadows similarly waxing and waning alongside it.

"Cubone, cubone."

"Indeed, Kewy," said Asgore, shifting the bag of shopping in his hand to be more comfortable. "Their prices are through the roof. No matter, I got what we were looking for."

"Cu!"

Kewy trotted briskly to keep up with Asgore's slower gait, so the two were side by side, Asgore's free hand waving at the occasional nighttime wanderer passing in the other direction.

"I hope Frisk likes these candies. They told me they do. I know their mother can be strict about eating too many of them, but when the weekend is at hand..." his train of thought was shunted onto a darker siding. "My my, when I think of... what I tried to do, and they still wish to spend time with me. Both of us, in their own way... Why do you think they're so determined to forgive us monsters, Kewy?"

Kewy didn't respond. Not because he didn't know, but because he did. He'd witnessed some amazing things after leaving the throne room, but the pleading of the one responsible for it reached him as easily as Asgore's would have, so for now, the time wasn't right.

"I suppose we're all odd in our own ways," pondered Asgore, "now then, about we try and take a shortcut?"

Kewy's eyes shifted. "Cubone..."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be fine this time. I was an expert navigator in my youth. Here, this alleyway should take us out to... oh dear, a fence. Well then, I suppose we can-"

"Hey there."

Their path back to the street was blocked by three shadowy figures.

"Oh, howdy!" said Asgore, smiling. "Out for a stroll? I can't blame you, it's a beautiful night outside, and-"

"That's a nice cubone ya got there." Asgore didn't pick up on the leering tone.

"Oh, Kewy? Yes, well, he's lived with me for a few years, we've had a great-"

"Yeah yeah, whatever," a impatient voice said, "he's coming with us."

"Cubone." The objection was noted for the record.

"Go with... you? I'm sorry, if he doesn't want to go with you, then-"

"Who said it had a say? Or you, for that matter, big-ears?" The three men had advanced on him. Something spherical suddenly flew through the air towards Kewy, but a bolt of flame from behind him deflected it, briefly revealing its red and white colour before it plonked impotently against the brick wall. Two of the figures stepped back, but the one who had thrown the ball looked interested.

"Neat trick, mister monster," he said coldly, "maybe if we capture you you'll be worth more than a runt like that."

Kewy tugged on the jeans of his companion. "Cubone! Cubone!"

"Now now..." Asgore had his hands raised, trying to defuse the situation, "There's no need for hostility. I'm sure we can all just go home and-"

Another red flash appeared out of nowhere. Another ball had been thrown, this time at Asgore. Even thought it wouldn't have worked, a trident now glowed a menacing red as it swatted the ball away. No move came to capitalise on the surprise this bought him.

"Please. There is no need to fight."

"You or your runt, fluffy. We're not leaving empty handed."

"Perhaps... perhaps we could have a nice cup- _Hurk!!_ "

" _C-CUBONE!!_ "

An imploding sensation erupted from Asgore's stomach. His attention on the would be captor, he'd totally ignored one of the others using the shadows to get closer to him. Their elbow didn't have lethal intent, but the hostility was strong enough to overwhelm him, and he crumpled to his knees, the light of his trident dissolving. He struggled to rally, but his stunned body refused to do anything but clutch the impact area.

"Take the cubone. By hand. See if the freak has a wallet or something."

"N-no... leave him alone..."

The weak moonlight allowed a flash of steel to reach Asgore's eyes. "Shut the hell up if you don't want something sharper stuck in your- _Argh!_ "

"Cubone!"

The brandished knife clattered to the ground, the soft woosh of a club returning to Kewy's hand giving Asgore an idea of what happened. A second glint of steel told him Kewy had only bought a reprieve.

"That hurt you son of a-"

"Cubone, cubone cubone! _Cubone! **CUBONE!!!**_ "

The guttural tone of this last cry was the only thing Asgore noticed before it happened. A bright light filled the alleyway, dazzling his own eyes long since accustomed to darkness, while their assailants yelled, the tinkle of the second knife hitting the ground lost in the confusion. Almost as quickly as it started, it retreated. Still struggling to get to his feet, Asgore held some flames in one hand to see what had happened.

"Kewy...?"

Kewy had changed. His figure cast a much larger silhouette. His bone club was larger and more sturdy. He turned his head, and the outer skull looked sleeker and stronger. The effect made his eyes appear beadier and less friendly, but as they met their gaze, that familiar glint of affection was still there.

"Marowak," he said.

A third glint of steel had appeared, and instinct told Asgore it was more dangerous than a knife. They didn't have to worry for long, for a heavy clunk preceded a cry of pain and another clattering noise as the gun fell to the ground. The club zoomed through the air, missing the head of the one who had elbowed Asgore, but as he made to restrain Kewy, the club changed direction and whacked him one his shoulder, making him the one to crumple on the ground. Before the one who had produced the first knife could move, Kewy dove into the ground as if it was water. The two men on their feet looked around nervously, before the one with the gun fell into a sudden hole.

"Kewy, be careful-!"

Temporarily on his own, the last one standing was able to step clear of Kewy erupting from the ground. The bony club tried to beat around his head of its own volition, but he eventually seized it and swung back, tripping Kewy up and leaving him winded, while the other two finally recovered.

"Knock the goddamned varmint out or something, let's go!"

He raised the club up, but faltered. An oppressive heat was descending on the alleyway, and fear grew rapidly on all human faces. The fear was something Asgore and Kewy could make out, for Asgore was conjuring a localised firestorm, casting his kindly face into a shadowy snarl of fury. With a flash, the trident returned, and all the flames converged on its tips, aimed at their foes with much more purpose than before. The club fell, forgotten, to the ground

"If I were you," he said with enough politeness to cleave a boulder, "I would go home and rethink your lives."

They accepted his invitation instantly. Yelling in terror, they sprinted for the safety of the street, and soon out of sight. Asgore's intimidating posture held up for another twenty seconds. Then both flame and trident vanished, and Kewy found himself scooped up.

"Maro?!"

"Oh dear, Kewy! You aren't hurt, are you?"

"Wak, Wak!"

But Asgore had to check anyway. And sure enough, a little dirt was the only sign of the encounter. Well that and how much heavier he was.

"My goodness, you're a big boy now," cheered Asgore, "I'd say those play dates with Undyne paid off!"

"Marowak."

"Now then, I reckon that's enough excitement for one night. Erm, do you need a snack? I doubt dinner would have been enough for you now."

"Marowak!" he said happily.

"Lovely." Asgore put Kewy down as they reached the street. "How about we not mention what caused you to, erm, grow up? I don't want to upset Frisk or Toriel or anyone else unnecessarily."

Kewy merely nodded, figuring this made just as much sense as the request made of him and Frisk. The two friends strolled down the street, Kewy no longer having to exert himself as much to keep up.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by [this image by Petite-Pumpkin](http://petite-pumpkin.tumblr.com/post/179455475657/i-dont-really-take-pokemon-requests-but-im).
> 
> Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading!


End file.
